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THIS FIRST — SC STANDS TO GAIN a seventh congressional seat if population projections hold for the 2010 census,” reports The State. “If the state gains a congressional seat, it would fall to the Legislature to decide which part of the state would be in the new district. However, U.S. House Minority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., said the district would be added along the coast, which has seen the most growth. … S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said adding a seventh district will result in changes to the state’s existing six districts. ‘You’d end up with several districts getting redrawn,’ he said.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Today is the big day for Sinbad who is joined by former Jenny Sanford aide and current RGA fundraising guru, Katherine Haltiwanger.
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NATIONAL LENS — “House Democrats are looking at swelling deficits further, at least temporarily, on a jobs-producing bill in response to double-digit unemployment and a sense within their ranks that the party needs to do more to put people back to work.” The Associated Press reports, “job-creating ideas include additional help for small business, more road and bridge spending, and extending business tax breaks slated to expire at the end of the year, according to spokespersons for Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.”
SPEED, SNAKES AND WINDOW TINTING — “Tuesday, House lawmakers got their first shot at prefiling legislation to be considered in the 2010 session that begins in January. … Rep. Todd Rutherford, the former owner of a vehicle-tinting company has filed a bill to allow a darker tint on vehicle windows and windshields. He also is hoping to raise the highway speed limit to 80 from 70 miles per hour,” according to the State’s Gina Smith. “Rep. Herb Kirsh, D-York, prefiled a bill that would regulate ownership of dangerous snakes and reptiles. … ‘I saw in the paper up here some guy had a big snake, a python, crawling up his leg,’ Kirsh said. ‘I felt like that shouldn’t be happening.’”
SATIRE-TWEET — @SCLegislator Trying to think up scary things to pre-file on. Somebody beat me to “snakes” already. May do an amendment to make it gay atheist snakes.
SAFE FOR NOW — When the first bill filed was to impeach the Governor, House Speaker Bobby Harrell said the Sanford’s “June trip to Argentina to visit his lover isn’t enough to remove him from office, has sidetracked an impeachment effort aimed at the trip and could derail any effort to remove Sanford from office absent some new or serious evidence of misconduct.” (Greenville News)
MEANWHILE — “In a closed-door session, the governor and his attorneys will listen today as the State Ethics Commission hears the findings of an investigative summary into Sanford’s possible misuse of aircraft and improper campaign reimbursements.” (Post & Courier)
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LADY OF THE MANSION — “First lady Jenny Sanford will attend the Governor’s Mansion holiday open house Dec. 3. The decorated mansion and the Lace House are open to the public from 4-7 p.m. The mansion complex is at Richland and Lincoln streets in Columbia.” (The State)
FUTURE? “Political analysts speculate the favor Jenny Sanford has found among so many would translate well into votes for a political office,” reports WBTW. “‘A lot of the esteem in which she’s held now flows from the fashion in which she handled the situation with her revelations about her husband’s infidelity,’ said Dr. Neal Thigpen, a veteran political analyst and retired Francis Marion University professor. Thigpen said there has been talk in political circles of Jenny Sanford running for the seat held by Congressman Henry Brown, or even that of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. Some potential voters say they would back her if she chose to run.” Video HERE.
CAUSING PROBLEMS — WMBF reported, yesterday, that Mike Green was arrested in Myrtle Beach Monday. According to the police report, Green said “he works for a Columbia, SC-based political firm that pays him to cause problems for [Mayoral candidate Mark] McBride’s campaign.”
APPARENTLY IT WORKED — “Rhodes edged out former Myrtle Beach mayor Mark McBride in his re-election campaign in a 2,649 to 2,157 decision. Approximately 34.5 percent of eligible voters turned out at the polls Tuesday.”
PALIN’S ‘MESSAGE’ FOR GRAHAM — When asked by National Review’s Rich Lowry about Senator Lindsey Graham, Sarah Palin responded, “What I love about the Republican party is how we invite — or at least we should be inviting — healthy competition in our primaries. It makes every candidate more candid, more truthful, and really wear their positions and their values on their sleeve. As for Lindsey, individually, I really like him. His constituents may want to send him a message to say ‘shore it up’ and come back to some more commonsense, conservative ideals.”
COMPARE/CONTRAST — The Post & Courier’s Brian Hicks writes, “Last week, the Charleston County Republicans voted to censure South Carolina’s senior senator for various offenses. On Monday, the Berkeley County GOP delayed a vote on their own official reprimand. … Maybe those [American Energy Alliance] TV spots sparked these reprimands, because the attacks on Graham by his own troops don’t make a bit of sense. Look at what the Charleston County GOP cited in its censure: Graham voted for the $700 million Troubled Asset Relief Program … just like Henry Brown, Gresham Barrett, Bob Inglis and — yes — Joe Wilson. He supported immigration reform … just like President George W. Bush, and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. He was rude to people at a town hall meeting … well, there you go. Sounds like he fit in perfectly.”
PINK SLIPS — Sen. DeMint appeared with Greta Van Susteren last night to discuss the thousands of “pink slips” flowing into the office mailboxes of Congressmen. “Thousands of pink slips coming to the senator’s office, congressman’s office, telling them we are on notice if we vote for government health care or cap and trade or any more spending, we’re fired. And I think it’s a great effort,” DeMint said.
MAYBE THEY’RE ALREADY FACTORING IN THE NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT — “Republican lawmakers piled on the Obama administration Tuesday – and Democratic leaders were miffed – over a Web site that reported thousands of jobs nationwide in congressional districts that don’t exist,” McClatchy reports. “In South Carolina, www.recovery.gov reported $40.7 million in economic-stimulus money had gone to seven nonexistent congressional districts – including District 00 and District 25. South Carolina only has six U.S. House districts, Nos. 1-6. ‘The attempts to cover up the dismal failure of the president’s trillion-dollar stimulus have gone from comical to embarrassing,’” said DeMint.
MONOPOLY ON PATRIOTISM — Mullins McLeod and Jim Rex were the two candidates for governor who spoke at a reception held by the South Carolina Democratic Party. Rex “pointed to his executive experience … as an asset in his run for governor of South Carolina. … McLeod said he would focus on creating jobs, on education and on reaching out to rural areas. He said he that is upset that the Republican Party has tried to claim a monopoly on patriotism. He also said Democratic candidates need to stop tempering their message to look like Republicans when they run for office in South Carolina. ‘We are right on the issues,’ McLeod said.” Greenville attorney Frank Holleman III, a candidate for state education superintendent and Congressional candidate Jane Dyer also attended. (Anderson independent-Mail)
YOUNGINS — “One supporter in Seneca jokingly questioned Tuesday whether Neal Collins was old enough to drive but said the 27-year-old Republican contending for the nomination to succeed Rep. Gresham Barrett would get his vote. Collins, an Easley native now an attorney in Greenville, is one of the six candidates vying to fill the Republican ticket for the 3rd Congressional District race in 2010. On Tuesday he brought his campaign to a meeting at the Oconee County Republican Party headquarters in Seneca. Collins offered a three-step approach: responsibility, recovery and reform.”
CHARLESTON — SPA prevails: Judge denies Conservation League injunction that sought to halt some work on new terminal
UPSTATE — ‘Grenade’ Maker Will Be Hiring Soon
WALHALLA — Drill bit maker adding up to 85 jobs at SC plant
CLARENDON — District 1 principal arrested
MYRTLE BEACH — March of Dimes Healthy Birthday Celebration in MB
GREENVILLE — Upstate Brother and Sister Win State Punt, Pass and Kick Competition
BERKELEY — DUI grant adds officers to BCSO
VIEWPOINT — CIVILITY — USC President Harris Pastides writes in a State Op-Ed, “The decline in the civil tenor of our national discourse is troubling, and the long-term impact on our ability to remain a strong and resilient democracy might rest more on how we debate than on how these debates are resolved. As the state’s flagship university with campuses across the state, the University of South Carolina wants to make a difference by engaging our students and our citizens on this important topic. Therefore, I am committing our eight campuses to an initiative that seeks to elevate the tenor of public discourse in our state by educating our students and involving our citizens in this endeavor. The people of this nation deserve better. As Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘We must become the change we want to see in the world.’ That change can take on new life at universities, and we will work hard to have that refreshed environment begin at the University of South Carolina.”
MONSTER JOBS — “Employment services company Monster is marking the opening of its customer call center in South Carolina. The company that operates job Web site Monster.com is celebrating Wednesday at its new building in Florence. Company officials say about 150 full-time employees work at the 75,000-square-foot building, which opened a month ago. More than 90 percent of them were hired locally.”
VIEWPOINT II — PRAYERS — “Dean Anderson and Larry Greer, co-founders of the Bi-Lo Charity Classic opine, “Recently the front page of The Greenville News announced the loss of two more local companies that have been sold to out-of-state buyers. Let’s pray that our hometown Bi-Lo headquarters will not follow this pattern.”
FINALLY THIS — AQUATIC BOVINE — An Anderson woman heard something crash in her back yard and what she found peeking from her swimming pool, sent her straight to the phone to call 911.
911 Telecommunicator: “Anderson County 911.“
Kathy Wydareny: “I’m home alone and a cow is in my pool and I don’t have any clue what to do.“
911 Telecommunicator: “The cow is in your pool?“
Wydareny: “Yes, it fell in my pool.“
911 Telecommunicator: “Is it a small cow or a big cow?“
Wydareny: “No, it’s a big cow. It’s a really big cow.“
Kathy Wydareny believes the cow, which belonged to her neighbor, got loose and simply walked out onto the pool cover thinking it was solid ground.
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